These are some of the photos we took at the reconstructed area of Castell Henllys, an Iron Age inlan
These are some of the photos we took at the reconstructed area of Castell Henllys, an Iron Age inland promontory fort in Wales, and one of the most intensively studied hillforts in Britain. A large portion of the interior of the hillfort has been excavated, and this has produced detailed information about the layout of the site and the lifestyle of its inhabitants – so much so that a number of roundhouses and a granary have been recreated on the exact location of the original Iron Age structures. Each upright pole has been placed into the original post hole. The hillfort consists of a natural headland with steep scarps to the east, south and west, augmented by a bank. To the north of the site, where the entrance was, there are significant earthworks in the shape of several ditches and banks. Inside these fortifications, archaeologists have found evidence for numerous Iron Age roundhouses dating to between 500 and 100BC. Adjacent to the fort they discovered a farmstead settlement, which is believed to have been occupied throughout the Romano- British period. Hillforts such as Castell Henllys were probably home to a community of extended families, maybe up to 150 people, and building and maintaining the site would have been a big commitment for the inhabitants. Excavation of the defences has shown how massive and complex they were, particularly at the gateway end, going through many phases of rebuilding and construction. This may show that Welsh Iron Age society was violent, and that’s why so many communities were prepared to invest in hillforts. A large slingshot hoard – a rare find for Britain – was discovered behind the rampart at Castell Henllys, suggesting the defences were ready for use. Alternatively, or additionally, it might suggest that these hillforts were high-status sites, where the inhabitants used the massive and elaborate defences to demonstrate to observers that they could afford to spend labour and resources on building them. Interestingly, one of the original motivations for excavating the site was the name: the ‘llys’ part means ‘palace’ or ‘court’ and this name is associated with high-status locations in the early medieval period. (at Castell Henllys) https://www.instagram.com/p/BynhRfEiLvU/?igshid=nmlm2ckc636h -- source link